Let’s talk trust.
Deep trust between you and your members.
The kind of trust that makes someone come to your website and return regularly because you’ve exceeded their expectations and have done it on their terms, not yours.
For associations, trust is the lifeblood of member relationships. But here’s what you might not have spent a ton of time thinking about:
There could be problems with your website that you’re unaware of that are quietly eroding trust between you and your constituents.
At Steward, we’ve assessed many association websites over the years and we’ve found these five silent trust killers that usually go unnoticed, but have huge impact.
1. You say you’re member-first. But your homepage says otherwise.
If your homepage reads more like a press release than a handshake, you’re missing the moment.
First impressions aren’t just formed. They’re felt.
Your members land on your homepage to learn, solve a problem, or take action. But what do they see when they arrive?
- A banner ad for your annual conference
- A carousel with internal announcements
- A stock photo of businesspeople awkwardly high-fiving
While it’s easy to rationalize why you have these elements front and center, they are the very things that can lead your members to have a negative feeling about how you’re serving them.
Fix it:
Rewrite your homepage to reflect their needs and wants. Then show them how you can help. Lead with benefits. Ditch the jargon. Show you understand them better than anyone.
2. You’re still treating “navigation” like a table of contents.
Your navigation bar should be an intuitive guide to content, not a board game of chance and luck.
Yet there’s a good chance your associations falls into one of these methods:
The Blob
Every department wanted a tab… so they all got one. Now you’ve got 10+ items in the top nav, each with its own dropdown, and some that lead to pages with even more links. Members don’t know where to start, so they don’t.
The Hidden Door
Important stuff like logging in, renewing, or registering for an event is tucked behind a menu icon in the corner of your header somewhere. It used to be called “mystery meat navigation”, but now it’s just bad form.
The Jargon Wall
Your navigation is filled with terms that make sense internally but don’t clearly tell members what they’ll actually get when they click. It’s not wrong, but it’s just not member-centered.
The Silos
Your navigation reflects how your org is structured, not how your members think. There’s a section for Government Relations, one for Education, one for Membership… but none that answer simple questions like “How do I get certified?” or “What events are coming up?” Members don’t care how you’re organized internally. They care about finding what they need.
If members can’t confidently and quickly find what they need, they won’t think, “Hmm, let me try harder.” They are gone.
Fix it:
Use member language. Run user tests. Prioritize paths over departments. If 80% of members look for three things, those three should be front and center.
3. You’ve got a login wall, but no welcome mat.
Members expect to log in. That’s not the issue.
The issue is how you ask them to log in. Are you making the login experience visually appealing, user friendly, and simple?
We’ve seen login experiences that range from awkward to downright alienating:
- A tiny “Sign In” link tucked in the top right corner, barely visible and completely uninviting
- A cold, generic login page with no mention of what the member gains by logging in
- An error message that reads like scolding: “Incorrect credentials. Try again.” (No guidance, no help, no warmth)
- A “members-only” area that links to a login page… and then loops them right back to the homepage without explanation
Imagine trying to renew your membership or download a vital industry report and feeling like the system doesn’t want you there. That’s how many members feel when a login experience is poorly designed, hard to find, or emotionally tone-deaf.
It’s not just a bad UX moment for the member - it’s a trust withdrawal.
When members feel like they’re on the outside of their own organization’s website, it chips away at the sense of belonging you’ve worked so hard to build.
Fix it:
Reimagine your login flow as a welcome back moment, not a security checkpoint.
- Use warmer labels like “My Account” or “Member Dashboard” instead of just “Login.”
- Add a short line of microcopy near the login form with something like “Welcome back. Your resources, events, and benefits are just a click away.”
- Offer guidance for common errors, and be generous with support links.
- Remind members why they’re logging in: to access exclusive content, register for events, view their benefits, etc.
It only takes a few thoughtful changes to turn a cold login wall into a moment that reinforces trust.
4. You assume members already trust you.
The hard truth? Many don’t.
Here are some of their potential doubts:
- Are my dues being put to good use?
- Is this org really advocating for me?
- Do they understand the pressures I’m under today?
And prospective members? They’re coming in cold.
If your site doesn’t actively earn trust with clear value props, third-party validation, and up-to-date content, it quietly reinforces doubt.
Fix it:
Add social proof (quotes, logos, data). Highlight recent wins. Show active listening. Something like “We heard from 400 members this spring about this topic. Here’s what we’re doing about it.”
5. Your members live in 2025, but your site design says, “Welcome to 1998”.
Quality design improves trust.
A visually dated site can signal more than just a need for a redesign. It can raise deeper doubts:
- Is this org keeping up with the times?
- Are they investing in member experience?
- Are there hidden budget problems at this org?
We’ve seen associations with world-changing missions lose credibility because their sites looked like museum exhibits.
Fix it:
Design doesn’t have to be flashy. But it does need to be intentional. Clean lines, mobile-first layout, accessible color contrast, fast load times. These are table stakes for trust today.
So, here’s the thing:
When your website erodes trust, the fallout doesn’t come with a warning.
You won’t get emails that say,“I couldn’t figure out what you do, so I left.”
Or messages like, “Your login process made me feel like an outsider.”
And no one is ever going to say, “Your website didn’t feel trustworthy.”
But what you may see, quietly over time, is:
- Renewal rates dipping.
- Fewer members registering for events.
- A decline in site traffic and time on page.
- Potential members who visit once… and never come back.
At Steward, we spot the broken trust factors within your existing site and make sure your newly redesigned site doesn’t just fix them, but sets you up to be the trusted go-to source in your industry.
